EL MONTE – Public safety and children’s services may take a hit when the City Council votes on a slate of proposed budget cuts.

El Monte City Manager James Mussenden said the council is scheduled to sit down with department heads this month and discuss plans for tackling the city’s $6.1 million budget deficit.

Among the cuts the council will consider are:

cutting some crossing guard positions;

eliminating the Young Americans Drill Team which has had a 36-year tradition in El Monte;

requesting officers involved with the TORCH program – designed to help reform at-risk youths – to participate on a volunteer basis;

closing one of the city’s fire stations.

Kris Vosburgh, executive director of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, said when cities are in financial trouble their proposed cuts are predictable.

“They always pick things that are related to public safety or things that have an emotional attachment and pull at the heart-strings,” Vosburgh said. “You never hear them step forward and say they’ll clean the streets less often.”

And before making budget cuts Vosburgh said city councils statewide tend to convince voters to agree to a new tax.

But in El Monte that didn’t happen.

Voters turned down MeasureP – the El Monte Public Safety Funding Act – that officials said would ensure the continuation of public safety services.

Vosburgh said voters should be commended.

“It shows the voters had courage and wisdom and I think now they should demand more sensible cuts to areas like city employees and tell their representatives what their priorities are and let them know public safety services should be fully funded,” he said.

Councilman Juventino “J” Gomez said when voting on the cuts he will consider what is most important to residents.

“People have told me that they feel safer in El Monte,” Gomez said. “They don’t see gang members hanging out on street corners and they enjoy going for walks in the neighborhood. Those are quality of life things and it’s important for me that we do what we can to keep as many things like public safety services.”

City officials said the preliminary general fund budget for 2006-07 includes an estimated revenue of $55.2 million and an expenditure budget of $61.3 million, or a budget deficit of $6.1million.